Charles Leclerc is expecting that he will be in the hunt for pole
position in Las Vegas after showing strong pace during practice.
The first practice outing was abandoned after Leclerc’s team-mate
Carlos Sainz ran over a loose drain cover which inflicted heavy
damage to the Ferrari car. However, Leclerc managed to top the
timesheet at the end of FP2 with Sainz ending the session behind
him in second – however, the Spaniard will take a 10-place grid
penalty for changing to his third Energy Store of the season. Red
Bull has enjoyed a dominant campaign thus far, winning 19 out of
the 20 races staged – however, it has taken just 12 pole positions
in comparison. Max Verstappen ended FP2 in sixth place while
team-mate Sergio Perez was fourth, behind the Ferrari duo and Aston
Martin’s Carlos Sainz. Leclerc less hopeful over race success While
Leclerc is anticipating that he will pose a challenge to Red Bull
over one lap, he has asserted that the reigning World Champions
still hold an advantage across a full race distance. “I always like
street tracks but this one is a good one,” Leclerc said. “We look
quite strong for now, it’s difficult to understand where we are in
terms of race pace. “But in terms of qualifying pace, we seem
strong. So we still have to work and try to take a step forward for
tomorrow. But it’s a good start. “In qualifying as always, I think
we will be there. In race pace I think they are still too strong.
“Max has done a really good race simulation, so I’m sure they will
be strong on Saturday, this time [in Las Vegas]. In qualifying, it
will be close.”
Source: Read More